Friday, November 18, 2011

Occupy Wall Street - Selective Outrage

The average person on Wall Street makes $300,000 per year. Nice, but not enough to put you in the top 1%. That takes $350,000. (Note, by the way, that you do not live like a rich person in New York on $300,000, either.)

The average NBA player, on the other hand, makes $5 million a year. This isn't just top 1%, it's maybe top 0.1%. And yet, they are on strike for more. That doesn't qualify as wild-ass greed? Shouldn't the OWS crowd be chanting and protesting outside the gates of their mansions? Shouldn't Obama be calling them out?

Also, by delaying the start of the season, they are depriving scores of everyday folk from earning a living: the hot dog vendors, the ticket takers, maintenance men, etc. 99 percenters all. Where's the outrage?

I suspect the NBA is exempt since:
  1. They are unionized (even if they are the richest union in the world)
  2. They play a sport officially liked by Barack Obama
  3. They aren't known to vote Republican
  4. They are largely minority, rendering them untouchable
As I ponder also why OWS has not encamped outside George Clooney's house, I note that 1, 2, and 3 also apply.

No comments:

Post a Comment